A Cursed Melody
by KatzenBlut
Summary: Haru and The Cat Bureau haven't seen much of each other after the Cat Kingdom incident, until a certain girl makes an appearance in Haru's school, and isn't who she says she is. HANDED OVER TO SHEMP
1. Introduction

A fanatic laughter filled the forest, causing several birds to fly away in fright. "Finally!" a man long black hair cried as he controlled his mirth. "I have found the location of some of the last creations!" He started laughing again, his gray eyes sparkling in delight. "Girl! Girl!" he started calling, but stopped as soon as he saw a pale figure coming towards him, white hair swaying slightly in the breeze.

"Yes, Father?" The girl asked in a monotone, all emotions drained from her face.

"Look around, what do you see?" the man asked.

"The forest, Father," the white haired girl stated.

"Yes, but soon it will be our very own land. Our very own kingdom!" He laughed once again, an evil glint in his eye. "I have another assignment for you, girl. You need to find these creations, and then bring them back to me. After that, we will have all the power we need to create a kingdom," he ordered.

The girl nodded, then said, "Yes, Father." She walked out of sight, already knowing where the creations were, due to her father yelling out at the top of his lungs when he found out.

"I will become the most powerful sorcerer there ever was. That is, when I get those creations and steal their souls," the man whispered to himself as the girl left.


	2. A Sad Tune

A/N: Every chapter, I will try to write a little more so just be patient if it is too short for your taste. I give credit to Catsafari for beta-ing my work. This is the first real chapter, even though it is pretty short. Onto the story!

Everything was normal for Haru. The walk to school, classes, the walk home, supper, bed. Everything was normal, day after day. 'Too bad normal is boring,' Haru thought while lying on her bed, staring the plain and familiar ceiling. She had visited the bureau members a couple times after the cat kingdom incident, but had been too busy with school to visit more often. It had become a common occurrence for Haru to stare at the ceiling and think before rising for the day. Before Haru could get on the topic of Baron, her alarm went off, signalling for her to start her day.

Once Haru and a few other kids found their seats, her sensei came to the front of the class, making the students quiet down.

"Class, we have a new student today," he announced. The class blossomed into an onslaught of whispering as the sensei gestured for the newcomer to enter.

"Girl or boy?" Hiromi asked Haru as she turned around. The brunette just shrugged.

"I hope it's a hot guy," Hiromi stated dreamily. Haru was about to say something about Tsuge, when a girl walked through the door. Normally there would be a few victory cheers from those who had guessed the gender correctly, but the entire class was silent. Nobody was expecting the girl to have white hair, as if it were made of cotton. Her bangs were covering her eyes, making her look depressed.

"Please write your name on the board, then find a seat," the teacher instructed the new girl. She nodded, and started writing in beautiful penmanship. Once she left the front of the classroom to find a seat, the other kids leaned forward to read the board.

"Hiromi, what does it say? I can't read it from here," Haru complained.

The lighter brunette whispered back to her, "Lyra Nightingale."

Once it was lunchtime, Haru noticed most of the girls and some boys were crowding Lyra. 'Poor her,' Haru thought. 'It's probably really annoying to get crowded like that.'

"Lyra, why is your hair white?" Sakura asked in a sickly sweet voice. "It makes you look like an old woman!" she giggled, making her 'friends' join in. Sakura was what other schools would call plastics. Here she was just popular, since the teachers didn't like people categorizing others, so students got in trouble for that kind of thing. Before Haru could jump in to 'save' the girl, she answered.

"Genetic disease," was the only thing the girl said. Before Sakura could taunt her some more, Haru stood up and walked over to the two girls.

"Sakura, that's enough. Leave her be," Haru ordered.

"Why should we listen to you, klutz?" Sakura questioned. Some kids surrounded them, hoping for a fight. Hiromi tried to stop it, but got pushed aside by the other students.

"You shouldn't get in a fight with a pig," Haru told Lyra, completely ignoring Sakura. "You both get covered in slop, but the pig likes it." Most of the kids laughed at that, while some tried to stifle their giggles so they wouldn't get on the bad side of the popular girls.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Sakura yelled at Haru.

"You didn't understand? Your mental infecundity is truly breathtaking," Haru taunted, now paying attention to the girl. There was a sudden uproar of laughter from almost all the kids in the classroom, including a few guilty giggles from Sakura's friends.

"What is going on?" the teacher asked in a stern voice as he entered the classroom.

"Battle of the wits!" a kid called out. Nobody paid attention to the teacher, since they were all trying to guess what would happen next.

"It's not much of a battle when I'm the only one prepared," Haru said. Just then the bell rang, making the sensei shoo the students to their classes, his face flushed with silent laughter. As the students left, Haru saw the color of Lyra's eyes as she got up, which were a deep purple, with slit pupils. 'Maybe it's due to the disease,' Haru thought. Even though her eyes were different, the color of the girl's eyes was not the reason Haru was shocked. The real reason was because her eyes were just an empty void.

Lifeless.

'It could just be a mask, and she's scared to show her feelings,' Haru thought, but deep down she knew that that wasn't the answer.

Owowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowoowowowowo

The girl entered Haru's dreams that night. Her long, white hair flowed down her back as she played a slow melody on a piano. She wore a simple back dress, with wings sprouting out her back. One wing was leathery and a deep red, with deep scratches and scars ruining the shine of the scales. The other was a pure angel wing, made of long, soft, white feathers and moved gracefully with the light breeze.

They both seemed to be in the clouds, the sun ablaze, shining a blinding light to Haru's left, making her eye temporarily blind, while her right was filled with white, cottony clouds and a light blue sky.

The melody then reached Haru's ears. It was soft, with the notes flowing together like a gentle stream, but through the calmness the song showed, Haru could hear the sad undertone of the melody. The tune was heartbreaking, as if under the calm mask, it was calling for help. Calls that could never be answered, and as the song ended, it seemed to completely give into its despair.

Owowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowow

THE NEXT DAY- SCHOOL- CHORUS

"Class," the chorus teacher, Ms. Pasculli, asked while clapping her hands together once as the room fell into silence. "Has everybody picked their songs from yesterday?" she asked sweetly, a fake smile spread across her features.

Yesterday, Ms. Pasculli had assigned everybody to pick a song and sing it in front of the class, much to everyone's dismay.

"Lyra, dear, why don't you start?" she ordered, with a too-large smile on her face. Lyra stood up and walked towards the front of the room, eventually finding her way towards the piano and sitting in front of it, reminding Haru of her dream.

'So she DOES know how to play the piano,' Haru thought as her mind wandered to the dream. 'Does she know that song?'

She soon snapped out of her thoughts as Lyra began playing a haunting melody, her fingers skimming across the keys expertly. She first played a few verses on the piano, and then began playing the tune at a faster pace. It was a beautiful melody that seemed to float together.

Silence filled the room once she ended the song. The song was strange, not something most students would listen to, but it was still beautiful. Lyra stood up, her long white hair waving a bit as she did so, and waited for the teacher to regain control of her vocal chords.

Being obsessed with finding something wrong with every student, the teacher then stated unsteadily, "It was good, but I asked for you to sing a song."

Lyra just went back to her seat without another word.


	3. Abyss

_**A/N:**_**Hello people. Of course, none of these characters belong to me besides Lyra. That should be obvious. This chapter has some fluff. Cue the crowds cheering. I would like to thank, once again, Catsafari for beta-ing my work, and also haruxdreamcometrue 16 for nice reviews. Also, if you want the nightmare to sound creepy, listen to Creepy Music Box by Narsous.**

**Comments are appreciated. Feel free to give ideas.**

_The sweet sound of a violin washed over Haru as she entered her dreams, a forest slowly appearing around her as she searched for the source of the sad tune. Realizing that the cause of the music was nowhere to be seen, Haru decided to search the forest instead._

_The forest was covered in mist, making everything have a gloomy look about it. Slowly realizing that she was getting nowhere, the brunette tried to follow the music. The soft sound of music became louder and louder as Haru headed towards the darkest part of the forest, the moon giving the leaves a silver glow._

_As the girl finally reached her destination, it was not what she expected. Lyra had once again invaded her dreams, standing below a vine-covered arch. The white haired girl's body was swaying lightly as she played, her hair following her every move. She looked the same as before, with a simple black dress and wings._

_Haru began to feel cold. 'No, not cold,' Haru realized. 'Empty.' The brunette felt like a shell, moving and breathing even though nothing was inside. Just then, Lyra looked up and locked eyes with the scared girl, freezing her heart._

_It was a deep, purple abyss filled with nothing. She stopped playing her melody, and slowly brought down the violin. The trees swayed as if a wind had suddenly appeared, as the white haired girl started humming a haunting melody. Suddenly, Haru was trapped in a sea of dark purple. She tried to scream, but her lungs were filled with a liquid. Her body still tried to breathe, making her choke, as her limbs slowly faded into ash, flying away with the current._

_Haru suddenly spun around, meeting the face of Lyra, still rid of all emotions._

_Lyra tried speaking, but all Haru could hear was the sound of a music box playing a creepy tune. Both girls were in a deep void of nothing as Lyra began transforming._

_First, her angel wing began moulting as her red wing began burning from the inside. Then, as Haru's vision began to flicker like an old film, she saw what looked like Lyra's face, melting, for a split second. Even if it was a little flicker, it made Haru try to scream again._

_But all she could do was choke._

Haru quickly sat up, a silent scream on her lips as the brunette held a hand over her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart. Even though her thoughts should be focused on what happened in the dream, the only thing that ran through her head was a question.

_'Why had Lyra been crying?'_

Haru wrote a note saying that she was going out for a walk to clear her head, and put it on the table in case she was back late. After that was taken care of, our favorite brunette walked out the door and headed downtown.

_'Will I even remember which way to go? Probably not… I hope Muta will be there,'_ Haru thought to herself as she ran down the road headed towards the crossroads. When she spotted the café where she met the fat cat called Muta, she immediately made a beeline towards the table where she first met him. Even though she doubted he would be there, she checked the seats for anything that looked like a cushion with a tail. As the brunette was just about to give up, she spotted a tail swaying, followed by a gentle snoring. Haru smiled, amazed by her luck as she headed towards the table. She nudged him gently, but after a few seconds he kept snoring, so Haru did the logical thing to do.

She sat on him.

Muta's tail puffed out as he shot up from underneath Haru, landing on the white table with an angered expression that soon melted away.

"Haru?" He asked, confused by the fact that his friend who he had barely talked to had just sat on him in the middle of the night.

"Yep. Muta, I need to talk to Baron," Haru rushed through the words, silently begging him to help her. He nodded, but at the thought of Baron a sly smile crossed his lips as he jumped off the table to lead her towards the refuge.

"Well, I'm going back," Muta said as the pair stopped before the entrance to the refuge. "Oh, by the way, Baron made it so when a person comes into the refuge they turn to cat size," he added over his shoulder. Haru nodded in acknowledgement and watched him leave.

The sensation was like nothing Haru had ever felt before. She could feel herself shrinking. Her skin tingled, the magic in the air feeling like butterfly wings beating against her skin. The feeling ended as abruptly as it started, leaving Haru to look around, bewildered by the height of everything. Suddenly, she remembered the reason she came, and headed towards Baron's house.

Baron had thought about Haru. Multiple times. But he did not expect to see the brunette on his doorstep at 3 in the morning.

"Haru," Baron breathed. The girl in question just gave him a sad smile. He gestured for her to come in, and she did so.

"Please don't take this the wrong way – I am happy to see you – but what are you doing here?" Baron asked as he made a cup of tea for Haru who sat down on the couch.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be hurt. "I can't visit my friend at 3am?" Baron chuckled, giving Haru her tea.

"You know that's not what I meant. It is nice to know the spell is working, though." Baron said, sitting down in his chair. She smiled again, although it still seemed sad.

"I've been having some dreams," Haru started. "I've only had two so far, but both are about the same thing. Even though the last time I woke up crying," she mumbled the last part, but the Baron could still hear.

"Crying?" he asked, worried. Seeing his expression, Haru laughed nervously.

"Ehh… maybe. Anyway–" Haru tried to change the subject, but was cut off when Baron took her shoulders. The brunette tried to respond, but the words were lost when she stared into his green orbs.

"Why were you crying?" he asked.

Trying to hide her blush, Haru looked down. "It has to do with this girl who recently came to my school," she started. Instead of going back to his chair, Baron sat next to Haru. "The same day that I saw her, I had a dream about her. We were both in the sky, standing on a cloud, but she didn't realize I was there. She had wings, but they were different. One was a red, leathery wing, and the other was an angel wing. She was playing a sad song on the piano. When it was finished, I woke up, and that was that." She moved a little closer to Baron, and then continued on with the story.

"The other dream is kind of hard to explain. This time, I was in the middle of a forest. Someone was playing the violin, so I decided to find out whom. It was her, of course, with the wings, and when the song ended I expected the dream to end. But it didn't," Haru paused when Baron took her hand, but didn't say anything of it. She squeezed back. "After the song, she looked up at me, and it sounded like a music box began playing somewhere. I couldn't move, and after a minute she began humming along with the music box. I don't know what exactly happened next, but I was drowning in a dark purple sea, and I couldn't breathe. She was there also, but it was like in horror movies where in a split second you can see her face melting, then it goes back. I tried to scream, but I started to choke."

"I can see why you were crying," Baron said softly, squeezing her hand.

"That was the main reason I cried, but not the only reason," she whispered. A tear slipped past her grasp, but didn't get far when Baron wiped it away and wrapped Haru in a warm embrace. She tensed and let out a gasp in surprised, but soon relaxed and leaned into his chest.

"She was empty," Haru whispered.

"Empty?" Baron asked after a few moments. She nodded, and cuddled deeper into his embrace.

"It was like she didn't care anymore, Baron. She didn't care if she died. She's just a shell," Haru began crying. Baron kissed her hair and rubbed her back in soothing motions.

"She has a strange appearance too," Haru mentioned once she began to calm down.

"What do you mean by strange?" Baron asked.

"She has white hair and purple eyes," Haru said. "If that isn't enough, then should I mention her eyes have slit pupils, like a cats?"

Baron tensed, making Haru look up in confusion. "What's her name?" he asked after a few moments, his voice strained.

"Lyra Nightingale," Haru said, worried about his strange behavior. Baron scowled.

"Baron?" Haru asked.

"Stay away from her," he said, looking a little panicked.

"Why? Do you know her?"

"Just stay away from her," he said, his voice pleading. Haru waited a few moments, thinking about her answer.

Finally, she said, "I will if you tell me why." He squeezed her tighter.

"Awhile ago, there was a sorcerer who came for help. This was when Toto and I were in Europe. He said he needed help fast, and said to follow him, so we did. We ran to a secluded area in a forest. There, he used magic so we couldn't leave. We stayed in cages for a few days," Haru tensed at that last part. "Toto and I tried to break out, but it was no use. He used a very powerful spell. But, one day we saw a girl. She was about four, and was walking up to the sorcerer, who was reading books to try to learn how to steal our souls." Haru whimpered, and held him tighter. He chuckled a bit, making his chest reverberate. Haru decided she liked that feeling, making her giggle a bit. "She tried to tell him something, but he was angry that she disrupted his studies, and began beating her. The worst part of it was that she seemed used to it. No child of four years should be used to being beaten," Baron said the last part angrily.

"How did you escape?" Haru asked quietly.

"The girl hadn't eaten in days, so she had to go find food. He didn't want her to starve, since she was like his tool, so he put down his defences to let her out. It takes about five minutes to put them back up, but he didn't realize that the spell to keep us in the cages and the spell to keep us in the area were attached, so Toto and I managed to escape."

"What does this have to do with Lyra?" Haru asked hesitantly. Baron shook his head sadly.

"Lyra was that little girl."

_**Heyyyyy end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed. If you didn't... well... I don't really know you. But I hope you will find a good story. If you don't like my writing style, try Catsafari and/or YarningChick.**_

_**Quotes for next chapter: "Baron, I didn't know you could purr!" "I know with other cats it's calming, but with you it's a whole lot better."**_


	4. Seized

A haunted feeling lingering in her stomach, Haru stepped onto the sidewalk.

Much to her surprise, the streets were nearly abandoned. Of course, a few cars sped by in a flash, and some people rushed by, but it was oddly quiet and empty than usual. Then again, it was around four o'clock in the morning.

She still couldn't forget about that nightmare, or Lyra.

Haru passed by the familiar white dining chairs and tables where she had first met Muta, the plump, grumpy tom-cat. Her brown shoes seemed to clap onto the concrete too loudly, she continued to trip on every crack on the ground or obstacle, and she felt her blood pumping loudly through her body. _What is wrong with me today? _The girl thought desperately, her insides tumbling.

_Nothing._

Haru stumbled and nearly landed flat on her face. "_Nothing"_- that wasn't her thought. No, it was someone else's voice in her head. She felt chilled to the bone. _It's not my thought. _

It was Lyra's voice.

"It's all her fault!" Haru whispered harshly to herself, glancing around the street. The streetlamps were dim, the light hardly creeping a meter or so towards the sidewalk, and were only getting dimmer. "I'm just paranoid… She's not some tool in an evil sorcerer's plan… She's probably some weird chick putting on a white wig, purple contacts, and calling herself Lyra…"

But it looked so real.

How couldn't it be?

The brunette quickened her clumsy pace, determined to reach home quickly. She hardly had any sleep, which could be solved. _I'll just get as much sleep as I can, and wake up a little wake. Then I'll drink some coffee, easy. I'll just ask my mom to drive me to school instead of walking._

Yet Haru didn't feel any relief in her plan. It wasn't getting enough sleep for school that worried her.

_STOP! Just forget about Lyra! She's some weird girl, that's it, not some evil creature… _

Haru broke out into a run. Her surroundings whizzed past her, her breathing became ragged, and her lungs burned. She saw her little brown shoes slam onto the concrete more slowly and slowly each stride, and her arms begin to go limp. Still, the buildings and people around her whooshed by. Haru felt like she was going in slow motion in a world that was being fast forwarded.

_Step._

_Step._

_Step. _

The rest of the world's sounds drowned out until she could only hear those rhythmic steps. She couldn't hear the chattering of the scattered people around her, the honks and tires of cars, her own breathing… She was deaf.

_Step._

_Step._

_Step._

Haru couldn't move. Her feet were planted in place, refusing to budge.

She couldn't think.

Feeling hands thump onto her back, Haru could only collapse on the frigid, cold concrete, scraping her hands and her cheek. The figure's moves where swift: a thick rope around her legs and wrists, and a cloth in her mouth. Her body being lifted into the air, a hand wrapped around her throat, nails sinking into her flesh.

As it pierced Haru's face with a quick swipe, the last thing she saw was emotionless, purple eyes.

~_Haru's mother, Naoko Yoshioko~_

For Naoko, it was a usual morning.

Except her daughter wasn't there.

Instead of meeting her at the table for a typical breakfast, Naoko waited uneasily in her seat. She stared down at her chopsticks, wiggling them. She brushed back her short hair, and adjusted her glasses. She sipped her tea, and swallowed slowly. _Where is she? _

"Haru!" Naoko called to her daughter, slamming her chopsticks on the table. Something wasn't right. _That girl better have not stayed up all night, or I'll have to put a camera in her room!_

Finally, she heard gentle footsteps down the stairs, and Haru arrived (instead of her usual stumble, run, and apologize profusely). Her brown hair was neat and crisp, unlike the every-day, usual, imperfect but stylish hair. Her clothes looked new, and her eyes blinked methodically. "Yes, mother?" she asked in perfect tone.

Naoko couldn't help but blink, completely forgetting about the momentary absence. Her daughter was acting odd. "It's breakfast time, sweetie," she said, after regaining control of her voice. "Now, hurry up and eat- school will be soon."

"Yes, mother." Gracefully, Haru sat down at the chair across from Naoko. Head dipped, she plucked a piece of breakfast with her chopsticks, and ate neatly. "Thank you, mother. It's delicious."

"N-no problem, Haru," Naoko replied, eyebrows rising. "Did you sleep well?"

Pausing, Haru nodded. "Yes, mother."

They ate in uncomfortable silence. _Why is Haru so quiet and graceful today? _Naoko wondered. _Not that she's a beautiful, nice young lady- but this Haru is… Distant. Emotionless. What's gotten into her?_

"Is there anything you would like talk about, Haru?" Naoko finally asked, studying Haru closely.

"It's time for me to go to school, mother."

"Of course!" Naoko said, glancing at the clock. "Yeah, you should get going." Haru stood up, along with Naoko. "I love you, sweetie. Have a good day." With that, Naoko wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her in a tight embrace.

Haru tensed, her brown eyes widening at the sudden sign of affection. After a stiff moment, she relaxed into Naoko's arms. "I love you, mother. Have a good day." With that, Haru unwound herself from Naoko's arms, bowed, and with her bag tightly in one hand, she exited out the door quietly.

Naoko knew something was wrong with her daughter.

But she didn't want to admit it.

**_Hullo. I'm Shemp, because Kat gave the story to me, so I'll be continuing it. That's pretty much it, heh. _**

******_ALSOOO, I'll hopefully update on the weekend (either Saturday or Sunday). If I don't, do not forgive me, and I'll try to update during the following week. School is quite the time-consumer. _**

******_Still reading? Cool._**

******_You might as well answer this question in the review section: _**

******_How do pigs get to the hospital? _**

******_And,_**

******_What do you think will happen next? _**

******_Buh-bye._**


	5. The Cave

Haru was blind.

Well, she was pretty sure she was blind.

The brunette woke up back into darkness. It took her awhile to realize that she had regained consciousness. Suddenly, thoughts stormed through her mind, making her shiver with confusion. The fear of not knowing anything.

_Where am I?_

_How did I get here? _

_When did I get here? _

_Was I captured?_

_By who? _

Her stomach did a fierce tumble inside her, and she felt nauseous. Just thinking of _her _name made her want to vomit. She was sure of it. It was definitely Lyra Nightingale who had captured her. Remembering back to the time that she was captured, she had seen hauntingly violet eyes before the pale girl had brought a quick jab to her neck. That brought up another question- how did Lyra make her pass out with a simple swipe? Was it some type of secret kung-fu move, or _magic_? Haru could see it being magic, especially with her recent encounter with some up-right, walking and talking cats.

Haru felt her trembled as pain rippled throughout her shoulder, wrists, and legs. She realized that her head was pounding, and everything seemed to ache to a horrible degree.

She didn't know where she was.

She didn't know why she was here.

She just wanted to leave.

The brunette's deep brown eyes brimmed with tears. She had to get out of here. Haru whipped her gaze around in the darkness, trying to see the littlest amount of light.

_Maybe, I'm dead. _

_No, stupid! You can't be dead. Just breathe._

Sighing heavily, she rubbed her temples and sat up straight. _Calm down, Haru, you won't get anywhere if you keep freaking yourself out._

Then, her heart leapt.

The smallest shed of light crept through the darkness, like a silver sword piercing through weak obsidian. Haru felt the smallest bit of hope flutter in her chest.

She scrambled to her feet, wincing as her ankles shook feebly and sent waves of pain throughout her body. Haru leaned back against the wall, and pinned her eyes to the small light, refusing to blink. She felt as if she lost sight of it just once, it would be gone forever. She wouldn't let that happen. She _couldn't _let that happen.

Once she was assured that she wouldn't collapse, Haru took a shaky step forward. Her knees buckled immediately, and she flopped back onto her floor, almost slamming her face on the cool stone. It had indents and tiny dips, as if someone tried to carve into it.

_Wait… It's stone. Definitely not concrete. Now that I think of it, the wall was stone too. Am I in a cave? _

At least she knew something about her whereabouts: she was in a cave. _Why would Lyra put me in a cave? _Haru wondered, her breathing becoming loud in her ears and irregular. The feeling of confusion settled in her mind. _Why would she capture me in the first place? _The questions returned to her hurriedly, like hungry dogs to their owner who had discovered was holding a juicy steak.

Pushing the questions to the back of her mind, Haru began to crawl towards the light. It reminded her of the "don't go towards the light!" saying. What if she was in a coma, and the light was death? If she waited in darkness long enough, would she wake up?

_If I can't go towards the light, where am I supposed to go? I can't sit here forever. _

Haru knew she had to be independent; no one else was here to help her.

Steadying herself again, Haru continued on. The stone was relentless, and her weak knees felt battered and scuffed. Despite her grazed knees and aching bones, she simply went faster. Though it didn't feel like she was making any progress.

Finally, the light had begun to grow bigger. Haru felt as if she could touch it.

Haru flinched as the light suddenly grew brighter. Her heart leapt. She could see something!

She could see the rough, gray stone floor, and the carvings she had felt. Intricate carvings stretched out before her, creating odd, sharp designs. Haru didn't know how to explain them. Instead, she traced it with her finger. It seemed to go in a forever loop, twisting and turning.

Lifting her gaze back to the light, Haru realized that it softened. Her eyes must have gotten used to it. The slit of light came from outside of the cave. Crouching down on her feet, Haru pressed her hands against the stone barrier, and pushed. It wobbled, but it was no use- the rock covering the exit was simply too heavy.

"Hey, Kurai," a light, silky, feminine voice said from outside the cave, "did you hear that?"

Haru's heart thumped, pounding aggressively against her ribcage. _There's people out there!_

An amused, rumbling growl answered the silky voice. "I think our little friend in there is awake," it answered in a raspy voice. Haru guessed it was Kurai.

"Shall we warn Lyra?"

_Oh, no. _

"Are you kidding me, Byakka?" Kurai snorted. "Lyra's dreaded father will probably make us clean out the bloody cave, and then give us a pathetic excuse for a dinner- or probably, none at all. We need to teach her and that old man a lesson."

There was some shuffling. "Oh, Kurai, you know it's not Lyra's fault," Byakka reasoned.

There was a snort. "You've got to be kidding me. She follows the old man's orders like a little pack rat! Of course it's her fault too. Besides, I'm hungry, and the little human in their must taste like-"

"-Shh! Don't be harsh, Kurai. Let's just go warn Lyra. We don't need trouble."

Kurai sighed. "Fine, whatever. Byakka, you need to learn not to always follow the rules."

"Well, I _do _feel bad for the human. She must be horrified."

Haru knew that it was true.

"So? Why don't we go help it? Perhaps, it will help us escape."

_Help you escape? All I know is that I am in a cave! _

Byakka murmured something that Haru couldn't hear. Deliberately, the girl pressed her ear against the smooth stone. "I doubt that she knows anything about this place," the silky voice continued. "But I agree. We should help. In the end, it could be helpful to our cause."

"Exactly, my dear friend!" Kurai said, and a rumbling chuckle echoed from the creature. "I've got a plan."

Unsurely, Byakka hesitated. "Let me hear it, then."

"We'll warn Lyra about the human," Kurai explained. "Since it's a human, Lyra will have to give it more attention. It'll be around the camp more, have to help, etcetera. Every night, it'll return to the cave. The human could smuggle food in for us, since we'll be on guard. It will also tell us about the sorcerer's plan. Obviously, the old man can't keep a secret- he'll definitely expose it to the new human. It will be a spy, basically. Then, we'll have enough information, and use it to escape."

"It's not very specific," Byakka warned. "But I suppose it's an okay plan."

Twigs crunched as one of them stood up. "Of course it is! You go see to the human. I'll warn the crazy sorcerer's little devil."

Paw steps thumped against the ground, away from the cave. The rock that Haru had been leaning on suddenly shook. She leapt back, landing on her backside with a shrill yelp.

"Oh! I'm sorry I scared you, human," Byakka apologized. There was a loud scraping noise as the creature slid the humungous rock to the side with ease.

Haru gasped.

A tiger stood before her, with a sleek white pelt and wavy black stripes. Striking blue eyes stared at her, calm and serene. The tiger was humungous, much taller than Haru had ever expected. Its long tail flicked slowly and methodically, and long claws clicked on the stone ground as it approached her quietly.

"I'm Byakka," the tiger introduced. "What's your name?"

The girl was still in shock. Now, the animal was asking what her name was.

"H-haru," she answered.

Byakka nodded. "Haru… That's a nice name. Now, Haru, are you hurt? Need medical attention?"

_Yes! _Haru thought, staring down at her weak, shaky legs, scraped knees, and sore muscles. "Well… Not really," she murmured.

"That's good," Byakka confirmed. "Lyra will be here soon."

Haru shuddered at the thought of Lyra again.

Cocking her head to one side, Byakka questioned, "What's wrong, Haru?"

"N-nothing."

Byakka lowered her glossy muzzle, planting her eyes at the intricate carvings within the stone. "Obviously, something is. Lyra, obviously. Please, do not think of her too badly- she is just following the sorcerer's orders. Be afraid of the sorcerer, not her. She does not want to do any harm."

Haru found that hard to believe. She was so emotionless all the time; not friendly, or sad, or angry. It was like she had no soul, and was simply some clay figurine, being ordered around by "the sorcerer".

Clearing her dry throat, Haru finally managed, "Who is the sorcerer, exactly?"

The tiger's eyes darkened. She lifted up her mighty head to regard Haru steadily. "He is a man who was taken over by greed."

Before Byakka could explain further, they heard the crackle of leaves in the distance, a twig snap, and a quiet growl from the familiar voice of Kurai. "Byakka is in there with the human," he rumbled.

Lyra's icy voice chilled Haru to the bone. "Stay by the entrance. We do not need anyone snooping around."

Haru saw Kurai at the entrance first. He was a tiger like Byakka. Kurai's pelt was a rich, dark orange and squiggled with sharp black stripes, muscles rippling beneath the fur. He was even taller than Byakka, with a mightier build and a thicker tail. Kurai's dim yellow eyes flicked to Haru momentarily, and he gave her a grin that exposed his sharp, white fangs.

Then it was Lyra.

Dressed in a silk white robe that reached her feet, Lyra stepped into the cave. Her prominent purple eyes pierced Haru like arrows. She lifted her pale hands. Clenched in her fists was a silver katana, poised in Haru's direction.

"Stand up and follow me," Lyra ordered in a level voice, "and you won't die."

**_I uploaded once again –pats self on back-. So yeah, I tried to stop on a cliffhanger. I'm not sure if it is very suspenseful, but meh. _**

**_The answer to last chapter's question is…_**

**_A HAMBULANCE!_**

**_Hilarious, I know. This chapter's question is: What is a pig's favorite ballet? _**

**_Buh-bye._**


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